Defiant Madonnas and Happy Saints: Gwen John’s Religious Art

20 Jul 2023 6-7pm

Overview

Join Rebecca Birrell, author of This Dark Country: Women Artists, Still Life and Intimacy in the Early Twentieth Century, as she delves into the hidden depths of Gwen John’s art.

From John’s audacious reinterpretation of religious imagery to her subversive challenges to patriarchal traditions, every brushstroke holds a world of significance.

With her expert insights and extensive knowledge of art history, Rebecca will take you on a journey through the hidden meanings and subtextual themes that make John’s work so compelling and relevant today.

You will also have the chance to meet Rebecca who will be holding a signing of her book, This Dark Country: Women Artists, Still Life and Intimacy in the Early Twentieth Century after the talk.

Tickets cost £15 and include a glass of wine or a soft drink.

Our galleries, including the Gwen John: Life and Art in London and Paris exhibition will be open until 8pm. If you would also like to visit the exhibitions, you can book your a half-price ticket here. (Entry to the galleries is not included in event ticket).

Rebecca Birrell is Curator of 19th & 20th Century Paintings & Drawings at the Fitzwilliam Museum. She has occupied curatorial roles at The Charleston Trust, The Department of Prints and Drawings at The British Museum, The Jewish Museum, and the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust. In 2018, she undertook a fellowship at the Yale Center for British Art. Rebecca’s research draws on interdisciplinary approaches to visual culture, and centres around feminist and queer art histories, with a focus on 20th Century British art.

Her first book, This Dark Country: Women Artists, Still Life and Intimacy in the Early Twentieth Century explored the queer and feminist subtexts of still life paintings by a group of British women artists. It was a Guardian Art Book of the Year 2021, was longlisted for the William MB Berger Prize, and shortlisted for the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize.
 

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